Overview

- Punta Leynir - 3.235 m -

Little pyramid placed on very long (more than 23 Km~) ridge from outermost and extreme topographic knot-crux of the Punta Galisia (amongst French/Piedmont/Aosta Valley) to Monte Paillasse (upon the Dora Stream in Central Valley) and into the watershed of the Rhêmes/Valsavarenche Valleys. In ancient times even named Punta Vaudaletta (See the "Guide of the Western Alps - Graian and Pennine Alps", Volume II°, Second Part, by Giovanni Bobba and Luigi Vaccarone; Edit in Turin on 1896). Popular excursion by start from Rosset Pass whether through Rhêmes Slope or from Nivolé Tableland in Valsavarenche (from Savoia and Chivasso Town Refuges); not so much from Leynir Pass, Rhêmes Slope, and less and less from Black Loch Basin, always in Valsavarenche, for a more engaged and complex route. Good views to Gran Paradiso Mountain Chain in Northeast and to Upper Head of Rhêmes Valley (Roc Basagne, Roc du Fond, Punta Calabre, Punta Tsanteleina, Granta Parei and Gran Traversière) and to Great Sassière Group in West-southwest, hardly more in distance.

Getting There

BY CAR:

From France, through the Mont Blanc Tunnel or the Col du Petit Saint Bernard: you can drive on SS.26, following directions for Aosta and, before arriving in Villeneuve, turn right towards Introd. Alternatively, you can take Motorway A5 (at Courmayeur or Morgex) and exit at Aosta Ovest.

From all the other directions: get to the Aosta Ovest exit of Motorway A5. Then drive on SS.26 Aosta, in the direction of Courmayeur; just after Villeneuve turn left towards Introd.

BY PLANE:

Aeroporto Internazionale "Corrado Gex" Saint Christophe (Aosta).

Enter the valley and, at the fork between Valsavarenche and Val di Rhêmes turn to the right (Rhêmes). Cross all the villages to arrive to Rhêmes Notre Dame and follow to Thumel (car parking), herefrom, following the dirt road on the right side (ascending) of the valley, or, better with snow, a track on the left that passing throught some fine woods leads you to the Rifugio Benevolo (2.285m).

Approachs

A)- To Leynir Pass through Vaudaletta(z) little Valley: from main road and about 300 meters after the great earth Parking (1.848m) and as many of the beginning of the dirt road to Benevolo Hut, turn left (abounding signs and panneaux; frontally splendid Vaudaletta Waterfall); by a brief descend reach the tiny Thumels's Village (1.879m), nearby the Rhêmes Doire (= Stream). Continue on ground road about other 100 meters to forest joining a little bridge upon a mini canyon; go up by a small path (2.443m) and rejoin the P.N.G.P. Casotto (= Hunting House for the Rangers Guardians of the Great Paradise National Park; 2.480m). Again change direction in East, reaching the fork of two torrents in quota 2.574m; leaving the Vaudaletta Torrent in left (North) continue, same path, through a hemi circular tour in moraine to remains of the Vaudaletta Glacier. By a last diagonal, bordering left (East; small crevices extant) the glacier, reach the Leynir Pass (3.084m; EE; 3h'30/4h'00).

B)- To Rosset Pass through Vaudala little Valley: from main road to earth great Parking 1848m, nearby the Rhêmes Stream; continue through ground road about other 100 meters as far as the no thoroughfare sign of the dirt road to Benevolo Refuge. On contrary, by South direction, go up with path n° 13 to hut (abounding panneaux and signs in start near a Pasture 1.901m) along the torrent still under the Saint Pantaleon Chapel (2.010m); just before to abandon and moving left (South) go up by the path n° 12. Crossing in succession same level route the Rhême's Stream and the Vaudala Torrent, go up through the forest by more and more narrow hairpin bends and along the Vaudala Torrent; through a long linear diagonal reach the Great Vaudala Pasture (2.338m). From this, and always near the same, wade across a secondary ramification and continue along the principal, South direction and to moraine in quota about 2.600 meters. Chancing the path direction in East-Southeast, reach a little source before the terminal part; on the same with fatiguing route and by a rotten rocky, debris and steep path go up the last stretch to Rosset Pass (3.023m; EE; 4h'00/4h'30).

C)- From Gian Federico Benevolo Refuge From hut (2.285m) before return to dirt road through a brief descent Southeast direction, after to follow the same about 220 meters NE direction as far as the first hairpin bend (panneau with signs); begin the small path n° 13A; with this and through a long diagonal in North-northeast, moderate slope, reach the quota 2.316m. Turning progressive Northeast, East-northeast and crossing between the quotas 2.407m e 2.417m, double at base the terminal quota 2.526m of the N-NW Crest Lavassey Point (2.772m), in entrance right (South) of Great Vaudala little Valley. Reversing the route with Southeast direction, by an other brief diagonal reach and wade across the namesake torrent and join the path n° 12 of Approach B, just below the Great Vaudala Pasture (2.338m) (E; 0h'45/1h'00 for the connection).

Routes

N-NE Edge: from Leynir Pass(3.084m) climb on edge of the brief, but enough steep, NE Ridge by a non difficult and broken rocks, eventually leaning or turning left (East); in terminal part overcome a passage more hard (II°+) and more and more, through same side over mentioned, exposed. After briefly and easily in final part to NE Summit (EE/A; difference in level about 150m~; 0h'30/0h'45).

S-SW Crest: from Rosset Pass(3.023m) climb before by a easy, moderate slope, to a great trigonometric signal up the Quota 3.147m; continue always in Northeast direction overcoming an amusing and west inclined slab. Subsequently and still without difficult reach the Leynir SW Summit (3.224m; great stoneman) and by better and better route to NE Summit (EE; difference in level 210/220m~; 0h'45/1h'00).